A look at the three-dimensional murals painted throughout Funky Fish, a new south Fort Myers restaurant from local restaurateur Sal Basile. / Special to news-press.com

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Funky Fish Seafood Grill

8911 Daniels Parkway, south Fort Myers

Food: ★ ★ ★ ☆ Atmosphere: ★★★½ Service: ★★★½

Price: $$$-$$$$ Hours: Call: 362-2042 Noise level: Louder when there is live music, conversational at other times. Etc.: Full bar including 12 signature cocktails and a decent wine list with most bottles under $50 and glasses from $5 to $7.50, outdoor seating, daily specials, live entertainment most nights.

The south Fort Myers restaurant is a punch line waiting to happen; an eatery you might find in a Three Stooges skit or maybe an episode of The Simpsons.

That those two words are attached to a restaurant of any seriousness, let alone one crafting pretty plates of fresh seafood, might make you balk. But for longtime area restaurateur Sal Basile, it’s just how he rolls.

Funky Fish is Basile’s latest oddly named creation. It follows nearby Two Meatballs in the Kitchen and the now-closed Crazy Chef. In the Basile household, restaurants are like Christmas presents. Sal named Two Meatballs after his son Alex and son-in-law Paul Torocco, who he put in charge of day-to-day operations there.

Funky Fish, which is located in the former Bella Rosa space on Daniels Parkway, is run by Sal’s daughter Gina, a recent graduate of Nova Southeastern University, and a young, refreshing presence in a restaurant that can feel something like a raucous retirement party at times.

On any given Funky-Fish night, entertainment could include a man in a sparkly vest leading a conga line through the bar and lounge; or a husband-wife duo cranking out jazzy standards on their plug-in piano.

In the dining room three-dimensional murals of sea life cover the dome ceiling and dot the walls. Paper and plastic glasses – the kind you find in comic books – are placed on the tables and ledges for your viewing pleasure. Servers, friendly and efficient on my visits, vary from a warm young woman with a neat ponytail to an affable young man who makes ninja noises and ’90s movie references.

By comparison, the restaurant’s menu can seem rather tame.

On it you will find calamari and crab cakes and mussels, chicken quesadillas and creamy New England chowder strewn with chopped bits of good clams. There is warm bread and good olive oil to start every meal, and a fine dessert list (the orange-creamsicle bread pudding is a must if available) to finish them.

For the most part, this isn’t groundbreaking food, although there are touches of creative flair to be found.

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Like the Lobster Surprise.

The appetizer features big hunks of tender claw meat paired with an unexpected combination of gooey brie and sautéed mushrooms. The whole lot is wrapped in puff pastry and plated with a beurre-blanc swirled with reduced balsamic vinegar. It’s tangy, earthy, succulent – a decadent start.

There are duck spring rolls, lightly fried and quite good on their own; less so when paired with the kitchen’s thickly sweet dipping sauce. And blackened tuna, the likes of which can be found at better airport lounges these days.

For entrees you have the option to build your own by selecting a fish, sauce and side. But the menu’s composed dishes are far more interesting.

There is the perfectly fresh Funky Grouper with its creamy base of lobster risotto set off by a spicy, tomato-white-wine broth. But where that sauce calls for rock shrimp, you could end up with regular shrimp some nights; disappointing though not otherwise harmful.

There is blackened salmon with couscous and broccoli, along with a short list of pastas and a handful of turf options highlighted by a simple but juicy pork chop plated with mashed potatoes in a mushroom demiglaze.

But the macadamia-nut crusted snapper, sautéed crisp on the outside, flaky-tender within, is what I’d come back for. The fish is perched atop a nest of verdant green beans and sweetly caramelized plantains. Swirls of Kahlua-butter sauce and cubes of pineapple-ginger relish finish the gorgeous and delectable plate.

Funky Fish needs more dishes like that one. Plates that show off the creative side of the restaurant’s, um, interesting name. Funky makes sense in that context, and context is really what this restaurant needs.